Numbers & Percentages
Average Calculator
Mean, median and weighted average of a list of numbers, including a credit-weighted GPA.
Updated:
Result
Updates as you typeAverage (mean)
78.125
- Median
- 81.25
- Sum
- 312.5
- Count
- 4
- Minimum – maximum
- 60 – 90
- Range
- 30
How it's calculated
The mean (arithmetic average) is the sum of the numbers divided by how many there are, and gives every value the same importance. When values matter differently (credit hours, hours taught, quantities bought), use a weighted average: multiply each value by its weight and divide by the total weight. The median is the middle value of the sorted list and ignores extremes.
Worked example
Five courses with the grade points and credit hours in the table:
- Grade points × credits: 50.9; total credits: 15
- GPA: 50.9 / 15 = 3.3933
- The unweighted mean would be 3.48: the one-credit Music grade would count as much as Calculus.
Weighted average example: GPA
| Course | Grade points | Credits (weight) | Points × credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course: Calculus | Grade points3 | Credits (weight)4 | Points × credits12 |
| Course: Physics | Grade points3.7 | Credits (weight)4 | Points × credits14.8 |
| Course: English | Grade points4 | Credits (weight)3 | Points × credits12 |
| Course: History | Grade points2.7 | Credits (weight)3 | Points × credits8.1 |
| Course: Music | Grade points4 | Credits (weight)1 | Points × credits4 |
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate an average?
Add up all the numbers and divide by how many there are. 85, 90, 77.5 and 60 add up to 312.5; divided by 4 that is an average (mean) of 78.125.
What is a weighted average?
When some values count more than others, multiply each value by its weight, add the products and divide by the total weight. The example courses have a plain average of 3.48 but a credit-weighted average of 3.3933, because four-credit courses count four times as much as a one-credit course.
How do I calculate my GPA?
Multiply each course's grade points (A = 4.0 on the common US scale) by its credit hours, add the results and divide by the total credits. Type the grade points in the first box and the credits, in the same order, in the weights box. Letter-to-point scales differ between schools, so check yours.
What is the difference between mean and median?
The median is the middle value once the numbers are sorted; with an even count it is the average of the two middle values. Unlike the mean, it is not pulled by extreme values: 85, 90, 77.5 and 60 have a median of 81.25 and a mean of 78.125. For salaries or house prices the median is often more representative.
How should I enter the numbers?
Separate them with commas, spaces, semicolons or new lines, and use a point for decimals (77.5). You can paste a column from a spreadsheet. Thousands separators are not allowed in the list, so type 1500, not 1,500. If something cannot be read as a number, it is shown.
Arithmetic averages only; your school's rounding and grade-point rules may differ.